The present invention relates to a protective seal, applicable to cans made of aluminum or the like for beverages, particularly designed to provide efficient sealing and prevent contamination, preventing dirt and pathogenic agents from coming into contact with the upper outer portion of the can. Such sealing capability usually results from the geometrical constitution of the seal and the can, which brings about cooperation between surfaces of the seal and of the can, thus generating compressive forces that prevent any substance from getting in.
The growing demand for disposable containers and/or utensils in the past few decades has promoted the development of numberless products intended for storing and carrying a series of materials.
More particularly, it is known that the consumption of beverages stored in disposable aluminum-type cans has greatly stimulated the production and marketing of containers especially designed to meet the needs of the final consumer.
The physical and/or geometrical characteristics of this type of can are now important aspects when it comes to the handling thereof and/or the possibility of storing and stacking them up.
Additionally, contamination of the upper outer surface of the can, which is the surface that comes into contact with the consumer's mouth, is commonplace as a result of inadequate storing of such containers in places that lack minimum hygiene condition, such as storehouses and sheds, or in excessively humid places.
A few prior-art solutions have attempted to provide a protective product that could meet the requirements of storage of such cans in contaminated environments.
Patent document MU 7701753-6 discloses a plastic cover that is coupled by mechanical pressure onto the upper part of a can-type metallic container.
Such a cover tries to provide a protective mechanism to the outer surface of the can, mainly for cases in which there may be contact of contaminating agents with that surface.
The prior art MU 7701753-6 does not disclose a cover or a protector for beverage cans, especially designed to prevent substances or contaminating agents from penetrating, in situations in which the can is stored, for example, in containers filled with water or ice, that is to say, in cases in which the cans are submerged. The device disclosed therein does not have geometric characteristics that enhance performance with regard to efficient sealing.
Similarly, Brazilian patent documents MU 8301816-6, MU 8303346-7, PI 0006387-8, MU 8201007-2, MU 8201044-7, PI 0002523-2, and MU 7802409-9 disclose protectors for beverage cans formed by a polymeric material and positioned at the upper portion of the can, without, however, providing a protective mechanism capable of preventing contamination of the can in extreme cases, such as when the can is dipped into a surrounding liquid and is exposed to contaminating agents.
On the basis of the foregoing, there is a need for the development of a truly effective protective seal as far as its sealing and protecting properties against contaminating agents are concerned.
Thus, the present invention provides an efficient protective seal for the upper surface of the can, the protector being capable of providing a secure and effective sealing system, even when the can is submerged, on the basis of the constructive characteristics and cooperation between the surfaces of the protector and the can surface.